Peerless Pioneer - Yasui VII Senkaku (Old Go Masters) (Volume 1)

Yasui VII Senkaku (1764 ~ 1837) is famous as the "Father of Modern Go" even though relatively few of his games remain. This book presents commentaries on six of his Castle Games, plus a selection of other games to provide a rounded picture of an innovative player who was able to combine the virtues of old go and modern go. The commentaries are by Kato Shin (1891 ~ 1952), who may justifiably be styled the "Father of Modern Go Writing." He combined being a top pro with an ability to write on a wide range of topics in days when the fledgling amateur go audience had to be found and nurtured. Kato was famous also as a defender of no-komi go. He thus had a sympathy for and an insight into Edo go which comes through in his commentaries. John Fairbairn is a prolific and experienced translator and writer on go history for the western audience.